DES MOINES, IOWA | November 1, 2014 -  "Three years after former Iowa Department of Education Director Jason Glass announced 'We have a system problem that we need to address,' Iowa's education system still needs reform," says Jonathan Narcisse.

[Below these comments is the November 1, 2011 news release issued by the Iowa Department of Education.]

Narcisse, is running for governor on the Iowa Party ticket and has been a long time observer and critic of Iowa's education system. He has called for the end of over $500 million of annual funding for public school students that do not exist.  While on the Des Moines School Board, he exposed the lack of transparency and accuracy in drop out and graduation statistical reporting.  And, his "Restoring Iowa's World Class Education System" white-paper includes a state education funding mechanism that follows the teacher and empowers families to take responsibility for their children's futures.  Click here to download white paper.

"Jason Glass was one of the few 'merit' hires in the most recent Branstad administration," says Narcisse referring to the national search conducted to find the top educator in America. "Three  years ago today, he issued a call to action in light of Iowa's massive stagnation, and he cited the fact that white kids were falling behind kids nationally, too."

Nearly 700 Additional Workers Hired This Year to Serve 133 Schools, 69,000 Students Across the City

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined Chicago Public Schools (CPS) officials to welcome hundreds of newly-hired workers to the Safe Passage program at a rally today. The latest expansion to Safe Passage, a student safety program that has grown significantly under Mayor Emanuel, was made possible by a $10 million investment from Governor Quinn and the state of Illinois. This investment, on top of an additional investment made by Mayor Emanuel, will add nearly 700 workers at 133 schools to protect student safety on the walk to and from school.

"Nothing is more important than ensuring our students get to school safely each and every day," Governor Quinn said. "Our new Safe Passage workers will join the many others helping protect our children and give them the opportunity for a bright, positive future so that they can succeed and go onto college, career and beyond."

"The 700 new Safe Passage workers are joining a tremendous team of residents who help ensure our children can come school each day ready to learn, and focused on their studies, not their safety," Mayor Emanuel said. "I want to thank the Governor for helping expand this important program for our children and families because Safe Passage is about more than a route to school, it is about a route to college, a career and the world-class education they deserve."

Combined with other investments the City is making, there will be 40 new Safe Passage routes this school year, up from 93 routes last year, and tripling the number of routes since the Mayor took office in 2011. More than 69,000 students will be served under the overall expansion.

The Safe Haven program, a partnership between CPS and the Faith Community, is also expanding to an additional 40 after-school sites as part of Governor Quinn and the State of Illinois' commitment. The Safe Haven program, housed in the Office of Faith Based Initiatives of CPS, provides a "safe haven" for students during out-of-school time. The program is both a reliable and no-cost alternative place for students and parents.

"Ensuring that every child has access to a safe and nurturing learning environment is our top priority, which is why we continue to invest in our successful Safe Passage program," CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett said. "It is with the dedication of our Safe Passage workers that we are able to deepen engagement in communities across the city and remove safety barriers that could keep students from the classroom where they belong."

Safe passage workers support students by not only being an extra set of eyes and ears to proactively identify and report safety risks, but also by building relationships with students and if necessary, de-escalating situations to prevent serious incidents from happening in the first place.

The District collaborates with 23 various community organizations, known as "Safe Passage vendors," to hire residents from the community to staff routes that ensure students get to and from school safely. The success of the program is credited to the positive engagement of Safe Passage workers with the students they serve.

Safe Passage has been successfully keeping Chicago school children safe as they travel to and from specific schools since its inception in 2009. Last year, the Safe Passage program doubled to provide 53 new routes to accommodate nearly 12,000 students transitioning to welcoming schools. Following this transition, there had been no major incidents involving students on Safe Passage routes near schools during the program's operational hours.

Chicago Public Schools serves 400,000 students in 664 schools. It is the nation's third-largest school district.

MOLINE, Ill. (October 31, 2014) - Joe Basaraba had a goal and and assist, Stephan Vigier delivered what proved to be the game winner and Sam Brittain made 20 saves in his professional debut as  the Cincinnati Cyclones (2-1-0-0) defeated the host Quad City Mallards (2-2-0-0) 3-2 Friday night.

The Cyclones twice in the second period staked themselves to two-goal leads.  At 7:44 of the second Byron Froese scored in a goalmouth scramble to double what had been a 1-0 Cincinnati advantage.  The Mallards' Antti Pusa cut the gap in half from the slot at 13:55, but Vigier would respond by scoring the third Cincinnati goal from the high slot at the 18:30 mark.

Jani Hakanpaa intercepted a pass and weaved between the circles to snap a backhander past Brittain and make it a one-goal game at 11:52 of the third period but the Mallards could not complete the comeback.

The Cyclones had first moved in front with just 18.2 seconds left in the first period.  Basaraba's wrist shot from the high slot opened the scoring.

The Mallards host the Cyclones again tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. on Military Appreciation Night.  Tickets for tomorrow evening's game are available to current and former military personnel and their families for just $5.  Single game tickets for all remaining Mallards regular season home games- including tomorrow night's- are on sale now at the iWireless Center box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and Ticketmaster charge-by-phone toll free at 1-800-745-3000.  The box office is open weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and game days from 10:00 a.m. until the start of the second period.  Tickets are available for $10, $16, $20 and $28.

About the Quad City Mallards
A proud affiliate of the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild and the American Hockey League's Iowa Wild, the Quad City Mallards are in the midst of their eighteenth season and their first in the ECHL.  One of the winningest teams in all of minor league hockey, the Mallards competed in the United Hockey League from 1995 through 2007; in the International Hockey League in 2009-10; and in the Central Hockey League from 2010 through 2014.  The Mallards' proud history has seen them capture the UHL's Colonial Cup Championship three times (1997, 1998, 2001) and secure that league's Tarry Cup four times (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002) for the best overall regular season record.  In 2001, the Mallards made professional hockey history, recording their sixth consecutive season with 50 or more wins, a feat that has yet to be matched.  The iWireless Center provides a unique environment for hockey and features one-of-a-kind seating areas such as the Nest for groups and functions and the exclusive Drake Club.  For more information on the Quad City Mallards or for Mallards tickets go to www.myqcmallards.net.  Fans can also follow the Mallards via Twitter at twitter.com/myqcmallards and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/qcmallards.